1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of inflatable play balls, particularly those such as footballs and basketballs in which accurate throwing comes from proper handling and spin imparted to the ball, although the invention is also applicable to other inflatable balls such as soccer balls and volleyballs. The invention is primarily concerned with a cover on such a ball which has a pebble grain configuration, wherein the land portions or pebble surfaces of the ball surface are substantially flat or concave.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With such a heavy emphasis on passing in modern football, there has been a continued emphasis on making the football easier to handle, enabling the passer to get the pass away with better control of its accuracy. Some of this development has gone into reshaping the ends of the ball so that they encounter less wind resistance as they travel through the air.
Equally important to the passer is the feel of the ball in his hand as he prepares to get rid of the ball. Present-day balls are usually designed with a pebble grain cover composed of leather, rubber or vinyl resin, the pebble graining serving to improve the firmness of the grip which the player can apply to the ball, as compared with a smooth surfaced ball. Such pebble graining is uaually achieved by passing the leather stock through suitable embossing rolls or by stamping under heat and pressure with an embossing plate or mold to provide a random pattern of raised pebble surfaces separated by a maze of depressions between the raised pebble surfaces. Heretofore, however, these raised pebble surfaces have been in the form of convex surfaces, even approaching a semi-spherical form. The present invention is based upon the discovery that the convex configuration in the individual pebble surfaces is not the ideal configuration, and significantly improved results can be achieved as far as handleability of the ball is concerned if the pebble surfaces are made flat (planar) or concave.